Swansea City Loan Watch | March 2022

25th March
First team
Brandon Cooper Swindon

Swansea City’s Ollie Cooper and Jordon Garrick are chasing promotion with their respective loan clubs, but defender Brandon Cooper has returned to SA1 from Swindon for treatment on a knee injury.

Plymouth Argyle are having a fantastic season, and are currently sitting fourth in the division with Garrick contributing seven goals and seven assists.

League One includes a number former Premier League clubs, but while the likes of Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town are struggling to make the impact they would like,  and Sunderland are losing ground, Argyle are well placed in the play-off hunt.

They boast the best home record in the EFL and Garrick has made an impact with the winger averaging a goal contribution every 139 minutes.

Ollie Cooper has enjoyed an outstanding season with Newport County, although the Exiles slipped from third to sixth in League Two following a recent defeat to Hartlepool United.

The play-off race could not be tighter, with just three points separating third to ninth in the table.

Ollie Cooper Newport

The midfielder has been sidelined by injury recently, and only managed 45 minutes in the defeat to the Pools, but he’s proven popular with the Amber Army since joining the Exiles and has been influential in the middle of the park for James Rowberry’s side with a goal and nine assists under his belt.

But it has been a tougher recent spell for his namesake Brandon.

The centre-half had made eight appearances for Swindon following a January move to the County Ground, but his involvement in their own promotion charge has been dealt a blow by a knee injury that has seen him return to SA1 for treatment and rehabilitation.

League of Ireland Premier Division pair Lewis Webb and Daniel Williams have been getting game time under their belts for Shelbourne and Dundalk respectively.

Goalkeeper Webb has made seven appearances and kept one clean sheet for the Reds, while midfielder Williams has had six starts and one substitute outing for the Railwaymen.

Goalkeeper Steven Benda has made 11 appearances for Peterborough but has seen former Swan Dai Cornell claim the starting role in recent weeks.

Steven Benda

However, he began March by featuring in Posh’s televised Emirates FA Cup tie against the current Premier League leaders Manchester City.

The 23-year-old shot-stopper made a handful of key saves but could do little to prevent Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish sending the Citizens into the next round.

Forwards Morgan Whittaker and Liam Cullen continue to play their part for a Lincoln City side who have built up some breathing space between themselves and the six teams below them as the season approaches its conclusion.

Whittaker featured in a win over Sheffield Wednesday and both Whittaker and Liam Cullen came off the bench to play out a 0-0 draw with Sunderland – results which put a dent in the promotion ambitions of the former Premier League clubs.

They pair were also involved in a defeat to Ipswich Town. Cullen was part of the team which lost to league leaders Rotherham United, while Whittaker played in a victory over AFC Wimbledon which pushed the London club deeper into the relegation battle.